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TODAY o December 21, 2000
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New Turner U.N. grants target AIDS, energy needs
Saeed Ahmed - Staff
Thursday, December 21, 2000
Atlanta businessman Ted Turner, who has pledged $1 billion of his own money
over 10 years to the United Nations, is directing the bulk of his latest round of
international philanthropy toward reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS among
young people in Africa.
The United Nations Foundation --- the organization Turner set up three years
ago to disburse the funds --- announced Wednesday that it is investing $16
million in its eighth round of grants, with more than $12 million of that going
to AIDS prevention projects in eight southern African countries hit hardest by
the AIDS pandemic.
"We are extremely proud of this strong package of com- munity- based
projects addressing the social, economic and health challenges associated
with HIV/AIDS in Africa," said Tim Wirth, the foundation's president.
The fall 2000 round of grants --- which brings Turner's total donation so far
to more than $317 million --- also will provide more than $1.7 million to a
cause dear to the heart of the CNN founder and lifelong outdoorsman: the
environment.
The foundation will help the U.N. meet the energy needs of developing countries
through three grants and will support energy efficiency investments in the
largest greenhouse gas-emitting nations through two others.
The total grant amount for this cycle is considerably lower than in past
cycles, in part due to a smaller number of proposals presented to the
foundation's board.
"We try to be thematic in our round of grants, and this time we targeted
solicitations strictly from projects working on HIV/AIDS and energy
efficiency," foundation spokesman David Harwood said. "It just so happened
that U.N. projects on energy are just getting started, so there were fewer
proposals submitted. But if you notice the scale of funding for HIV/AIDS
projects, you will see there are a fair amount that we are supporting."
The list of grants includes:
$2.3 million over 18 months to the U.N. Development Program, U.N. Population
Fund and U.N. Children's Fund for a project to combat HIV/ AIDS in South Africa
that involves youth in the design of prevention programs.
$1.5 million over 18 months to the U.N. Population Fund to improve
reproductive health services for youths displaced by war in Angola.
$1.3 million over 18 months to coordinate U.N. efforts in Lesotho to improve
reproductive health care and education for adolescent girls and to reduce by 5
percent the rate of HIV/AIDS in the country's hardest hit districts by 2003.
$1.1 million over 18 months to coordinate U.N. efforts in Swaziland to develop
a comprehensive AIDS prevention program in the country's four regions,
improve counseling and testing and provide care for people living with the
disease.
$2 million over 18 months to an Adolescent Program Initiative in southern
Africa run by the U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS that will link nine county-level
projects and attract resources for community-level work on HIV/AIDS.
$1.6 million over four years to the U.N. Development Program country team in
Brazil to provide renewable energy to poor rural communities while reducing
greenhouse emissions.
$75,000 over six months to the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs
in China to address the energy needs of the rural poor.
$100,000 over six months to the World Bank to enable large commercial
investments in energy efficiency projects in Brazil, China and India --- three
of the largest greenhouse gas-emitting developing countries.
$4 million over two years to the U.N. Children's Fund to implement in eight
developing countries a project on the feasibility of specific drug regimens to
prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mothers to infants.
$821,000 over two years to the U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS for its worldwide
initiative to close the gap between the global need and the resources available
to combat AIDS.
$940,000 over two years to the World Health Organization, which, through its
Global Polio Eradication Initiative, aims to eliminate the transmission of the
polio virus and certify the world polio-free by 2005.
$339,000 over two years to the U.N. Department of Public Information to
produce news items for U.N. Television to educate the global public about the
organization's worldwide efforts.
$450,000 over three years to the U.N. Secretariat for its Global Compact
initiative to promote global citizenship by advancing universal human values
in business operations.
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